CAMDEN – For 20 years, Maria Emerson fostered an idea to benefit children in underserved areas.

She dreamed of a mobile health service on wheels after working with children in their homes as a speech therapist and learning that some are unable to access health care.

Emerson now watches her dream in action with Virtua's new Pediatric Mobile Services Program that brings free developmental and dental screenings to children in need, as well as education on lead poisoning.

Emerson, now the director of Virtua's Pediatric Early Intervention Program, found a benefactor for her vision after the Virtua Foundation announced last year that a donor was looking to fund a new project.

Sam Lacroce, the president of the Joseph Lacroce Foundation, selected Emerson's idea as the project he wanted to fund and donated $1 million toward it.

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Sam Lacroce, left, President of the Joseph Lacroce Foundation, and Maria Emerson, Director of Virtua's Pediatric Early Intervention Program, stand in front of Virtua's Pediatric Mobile Services Program unit in Camden on Wednesday, June 27, 2018. Emerson had the idea of Virtua's Pediatric Mobile Services Program unit and Lacroce donated one million dollars to the program. (Photo: Chris LaChall/Staff Photographer)

"I hope this continues forever," he said about the Pediatric Mobile Services Program that officially began in early June.

With one vehicle, the service currently visits children in Camden. Virtua plans to expand farther into Camden County as well as Burlington and Gloucester counties, according to Emerson.

"Once the routes are solidified, our goal is 80 children per month," she said.

This service is first of its kind for Virtua, and different from other mobile clinics Emerson has seen because she said it connects families to the next step in care such as referrals.

“We make the appointment with them and we help families break down their barriers to access,” Emerson said. This is done by providing education, assisting with insurance questions, and helping with transportation.

There are many reasons families in underserved areas do not access services, according to Emerson. She said the goal is to provide education on the importance of dental hygiene, lead poisoning, noticing developmental delays in a child, and staying healthy during flu season.

Screenings are provided inside the unit to children 5 and younger. Children older than 5 may be seen if needed, according to Nicole Verrett, an occupational therapist for Virtua.

"It’s a quick screen of all areas of development to see where the kids are and get them instant help," Verrett said. "We are trying to capture anyone in need early on so they don’t have to miss out later."

According to Emerson, children could be screened every six months if needed.

"Dental and developmental screenings are performed on different days, so we have many families who come twice, once for developmental and once for dental," Emerson said.

While they wait, children can play with sidewalk chalk, bubbles and games provided by the program. An assortment of books, toys and puzzles can be found inside the vehicle.

"My idea was bloodmobile meets bookmobile meets ice cream truck," Emerson said of her vision for the mobile service.

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Virtua's Pediatric Mobile Services Program unit is stationed in front of the Anna M. Sample House in Camden on Wednesday, June 27, 2018. (Photo: Chris LaChall/Staff Photographer)

On one recent Wednesday, the Pediatric Mobile Services Program was stationed outside the Anna Sample homeless shelter in Camden for a screening event where Andrew Miller, 69, of Camden, waited for his son to get a developmental screening.

Miller was very happy to have this service come to his neighborhood, saying it is something that is needed and "should be everywhere."

Lacroce was on hand to witness the project he invested in.

"I think it's going to be very successful and I hope it'll be a statewide program." he said.